Contemporary Literature & Composition Syllabus

Mr. Paynter

paynters @ wcsoh.org

I.  Course Overview

A.  Description:  Contemporary Literature offers a global approach to literature.  It explores the literature of the twentieth century to the present.  Emphasis is placed on research and critical analysis skills necessary for success in college.  Students will also write creatively by developing their own poems, stories and creative essays.  Contemporary issues and mature language may be encountered in the reading.

B. Objectives: Students will study various contemporary literary forms, including the novel, short story, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, narrative and drama.   Reading comprehension, analytical skills, and personal response will be emphasized.  In addition, students will self-select materials appropriate to their needs and will read for varied purposes.  Students will continue to write in a variety of modes, including reflective, descriptive, expository, analytical, narrative, persuasive, argumentative (research-based), creative and technical writing.  Students will also develop a personal essay applicable to the college admission process. Emphasis will be placed on adjusting writing structure to suit the ideas being communicated, the purpose of writing, and the intended audience.  Students will demonstrate a working knowledge of the conventions of written English as shown in self-editing and proofreading strategies.

II.  Course Content

A.  The following categories constitute the course’s unit themes and some overarching questions that illustrate the direction of the unit, followed by text materials that may be used.

1.  Utopia / Dystopia:  What qualities do historical attempts at utopian societies share?  What causes the inevitable downfall of these societies?  How does utopian/dystopian literature reflect authors’ criticisms of their societies?

a.  Novel options include:  Brave New World, Huxley; Lord of the Flies, Golding; 1984, Orwell; Jurassic Park, Crichton; One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey; A Clockwork Orange, Burgess; Into Thin Air, Krakauer; Ironweed, Kennedy; Angels & Demons, Brown.

b.  Text:   Literature and Society, 3^rd Edition, Annas & Rosen, eds. (pp. 577-899).

2.  Identity:  What are the physical & metaphysical qualities that define a person’s character?  How do authors manifest contemporary philosophies in fiction? How does a character’s/narrator’s point of view affect the story?

a.  Novel options include:  The Stranger, Camus; Heart of Darkness & Secret Sharer, Conrad; Catcher in the Rye, Salinger; Native Son, Wright; Yellow Raft in Blue Water, Dorris; Dive From Clausen’s Pier, Packer; Secret Life of Bees, Kidd; Into the Wild, Krakauer; Big Fish, Wallace.

b.  Text:   Literature and Society, 3^rd Edition, Annas & Rosen, eds. (pp. 41-220)

3.  Men, Women & Relationships:  How is “The Battle Between the Sexes” portrayed in literature? How do gender, environment, politics, and belief systems affect how we view the world?  How is truth subjective in storytelling?  How do we identify the tone (sarcasm) and purpose (satire) of a writer?

a.  Novel options include:  Cold Mountain, Frazier; Color Purple, Walker; Joy Luck Club, Tan; Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood; Waiting to Exhale, McMillan; Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Tyler;  Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston; In Country, Mason;  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou.

b.  Texts: Literature and Society, 3^rd Edition, Annas & Rosen, eds. (pp. 221-578); Pygmalion, Shaw.

4.  War:  How influential is war on literature and society?  How and why does war inspire poetry?

a.  Novel options include:  All Quiet on the Western Front, Remarque; Fallen Angels, Myers; Catch-22, Heller; Farewell to Arms, Hemingway; Things They Carried, O’Brien; Going After Cacciato, O’Brien; Dispatches, Herr; Johnny Got His Gun, Trumbo; Midnight Clear, Wharton.

b.  Text:  Literature and Society, 3^rd Edition, Annas & Rosen, eds. (pp. 901-1108).

5.  Oppression & Protest:  What are the various forms of oppression that exist in contemporary societies?  How do people protest oppression?  Why do they not protest?  What forms of protest are successful and why?

a.  Novel options include:  One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Solshenytzen; Time to Kill, Grisham; Schindler’s List, Keneally; Rising Sun, Crichton; Born on the Fourth of July, Kovic; Kite Runner, Hosseini; The Alientist, Carr; Lesson Before Dying, Gaines.

b.  Text: Literature and Society, 3^rd Edition, Annas & Rosen, eds. (pp. 1109-1374).

III.  Course Materials

1. Texts:  Students are expected to bring their independent reading books to class every day.  Textbooks will stay in the classroom, unless make-up work is assigned.
   1. Textbook: Literature and Society, 3^rd Ed., Annas & Rosen, eds.  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Prentice Hall, ©2000.
   2. Independent Reading:  Multiple copies of books in bold print above are available to students; most of the other titles are available in the library.  Students may be asked to spend up to $20 for paperback books.
   3. Stories, essays, plays, screenplays, and student writing will be used throughout the course.
2. Supplies:  Unless otherwise noted, students should always bring the following to class:  planners; notebook paper; journal; writing utensils (preferably pens); a pocket folder to hold handouts, notes, assignments, and homework; and their independent reading books.   When using the writing lab or computers, students will need a disk/ storage device.
3. Lab equipment: Building computers are PC, Windows XP, with MS Word, Publisher, Excel, & PowerPoint.

IV. Course Policies

1. Absences and make-up policy follows the guidelines in the student handbook.
2. Unproductive behavior and tardiness to class are part of class participation.  Persistent issues will result in lowered participation scores.  Students can remove this grade penalty by serving detentions after school.
3. Late work will be docked 1 grade (10%) for every day the work is late, but no more than 50% of the earned score.
4. Students may rewrite all major writing assignments, as many times as they would like, to achieve higher scores.
5. Students must satisfactorily complete all of the major writing assignments for the course to earn credit.  Incompletes will convert to failures at the end of the course.
6. Hall pass policies follow the guidelines in the student handbook.
7. Independent reading, polishing major writing assignments, and preparing class presentations will constitute the majority of homework for this class.
8. If a student plagiarizes (copies another’s work) for major writing, the student will be asked to rewrite the assignment for 50% credit for 1^st offense, and an office referral.  2^nd offense on a major writing will result in no credit on the assignment and, ultimately, failure for the course.  Plagiarizing minor work will result in no credit for the assignment on any party’s involvement.  If students do not document their research appropriately (another kind of plagiarism), they will be asked to complete the assignment satisfactorily, and a late penalty may apply.

V.  Grading Policies

A.   Grading scale is district standard (98-100%=A+, 92-97%=A, 90-91%=A-, 88-89%=B+, 82-87%=B, etc.).

B.  Assignments in each category will be weighted according to level of difficulty, effort required, and time allotted.

C.  Quarter grades will be calculated by the following categories:

1.  Major Writing Assignments/Major Projects (critical analyses, research papers, narratives)       30%  

2.  Minor Writing Assignments (journals, responses)                              20%  

3.  Quizzes & Presentations (content & reading quizzes, presentations, group work)                          20%  

4.  Participation (promptness, involvement, attitude, preparedness, listening, cooperation)              20%

5.  Portfolio (goal setting, self critique, variety in reading and writing selections)                    10%

D.  Semester grades will be calculated by the following categories, unless an exemption from the exam pertains (in which case the semester grade will be an equal average of the two quarters):

                1.  First quarter                                                                  40%

                2.  Second quarter                                                              40%

                3.  Semester/Final exam                                                   20%

Each semester grade is worth half of the overall class grade (unless the course is blocked).

E.  In addition to the rewrite policy, extra credit will be offered to those who read more than the required minimum during the unit, or those who publish their written work in some public venue.

F.  Types of assessment for the course are wide-ranging and varied.  They will include traditional quizzes, individual and group presentations, computer projects, and artwork; however, the primary assessment tasks will focus on formal and informal writing.  Students will always be given the criteria for scoring at the same time they are given the assignment.

VI.  Course Procedures

1. Much of the course is centered around students’ self-selection: the length and difficulty of book options, selection of journal topics and paper topics, and the decision to rewrite major papers.  I have high expectations for all students, and those who want a greater challenge can achieve that by the decisions they make for themselves.

VII.  Words of Wisdom

        To succeed in this class, I suggest you do the following:

1. Trust yourself and do your best work; everyone’s best work will earn him/her a passing grade.
2. Read the books.  Read the books.  Find books you’ll read.  Read the books.
3. If you want a better grade, rewrite your major papers.  Conference with me; I’ll help you get there.

Contact Information

The best way to contact me is through email; all of the school communication is done in this manner, and we seem to be forever tied to the keyboard.  If you can only contact me via the phone, please be patient with my delayed response.

Scott Paynter        paynters @ wcsoh.org        school 797-6800                  voicemail  797-8580